The Papa Murphy’s brand was born when two pizza chains—Papa Aldo’s and Murphy’s Pizza—merged in 1995. Both operations had focused on a “take-and-bake” model, in which customers bought freshly made-to-order (but uncooked) pizzas and baked them at home. With this model, Papa Murphy’s is able to keep costs low by not needing ovens, nor licenses for cooking. There are now roughly 1,350 Papa Murphy’s in 38 states, and a large pizza starts at around $5 or $6. And they’ve inspired copycats—major retailers such as Walmart and Costco also sell fresh (not frozen) “bake at home” pizzas now.